


History Has its Eyes on You

by mik_writes



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Angst, Dalish Elves, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Post-Dragon Age: Inquisition, Post-Dragon Age: Inquisition - Jaws of Hakkon DLC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:41:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22831945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mik_writes/pseuds/mik_writes
Summary: Did someone say Bullavellan Pre-Trespasser Angst?Jaws of Hakkon spoilers.
Relationships: Female Inquisitor/Iron Bull, Iron Bull/Female Lavellan, Iron Bull/Lavellan
Comments: 8
Kudos: 43





	History Has its Eyes on You

**Author's Note:**

> Mik posting writing online? This is new. First public fic! Haven’t written in a while so I’m rusty, sorry!

The inquisitor sat, perched high on a branch overlooking the Varsdotten River, thumbing through an ancient journal with carefully gloved fingers. Sunlight filtered down in spots through the dense canopy, making it difficult for her to make out the already faded writing. She knew when the Iron Bull approached, but made no motion of acknowledgement.

“Dorian headed back to Skyhold. Said he had some packing to do but he’d wait to say goodbye before he heads back to Tevinter,” Bull said.

Cora nodded in thanks, a red curl pulling loose from her ponytail and bouncing at the edge of her vision. She’d cut it too short last time and it had been insufferable to deal with since.

“You alright, Kadan?”

Bull dropped down beside her with a clang of metal.

“I’m fine.”

“Mmhm. Fine. Sure. You’ve been brooding ever since we found Ameridan.”

The elf was silent for a long time, but the Iron Bull sat expectantly.

“There’s just a lot of history we uncovered,” Cora sighed when it became clear he would wait all night for an answer if she made him.

“You love history.”

It was a simple statement, but she could hear the question behind it.

“I do. But watching history repeat itself is not quite as… thrilling as I’d hoped it would be.”

“What, the Avaar? The Inquisition will take care of that. We got the god. And I gotta say, if you didn’t think killing a dragon-god was thrilling then-”

“No, not that.”

Bull arched a brow.

“Ameridan was a dalish elf. A mage. And history decided that wasn’t worth remembering.”

“And you’re worried that history will decide not to remember those things about you?” he guessed.

She nodded.

“Time and again, elves are written out of history. Conveniently forgotten. First the downfall of Arlathan, then the Canticle of Shartan, now this? Will they choose to ignore those parts of me as well?”

“I heard Varric’s writing a book about all this. Make sure he gets your pointed ears on paper,” he joked, affectionately flicking the tip of one of them. His attempt to lighten the mood brought a smile to Cora’s face, if only a small one. He draped a heavy arm over her shoulders and pulled her into his side. “As long as you don’t freeze yourself in time like Ameridan, you should be around long enough to make sure the historians get their stories straight.”

Cora swallowed a lump in her throat and carefully closed the journal, wrapping it in a cloth and tucking it in her pack. She looked down at her gloved mark. She could see the faintest glow of magic through the seams and she closed her fingers around it in a futile attempt to snuff it out.

“That’s just it,” she said slowly, taking her time as she uncurled her fist and began to pluck the glove off, finger by finger. Once she removed it completely and dropped the glove onto the branch beside her, she felt the Iron Bull’s breathing halt, even if his face gave nothing away.

The mark was spreading.

What was once a sliver now covered her entire palm with glowing green energy. The veins in her arm looked like they’d been injected with the fade itself, and it was slowly creeping up toward her shoulder like poison.

“When did this start?” he asked. His voice was hoarse. Cora went to curl her hand around the mark, but his warm fingers stopped her.

“On the way to the basin.”

“Why didn’t you say something?”

“I didn’t want to worry you.”

Bull was silent, inspecting her hand as if looking for an off switch.

“It’s hurting you,” he said eventually. It wasn’t a question.

“How did you-”

“The rifts. I noticed you were hesitating. Drawing back. I hadn’t figured out why but I never thought-”

He stopped mid-sentence and Cora wondered if he’d thought better of his words or if he was having as much difficulty speaking as she was. Eventually, he let out a throaty noise of frustration and a long string of curse words in as many languages as he knew spilled from his mouth.

“Well said.”

“We’ve still got a shit-ton of mages back at Skyhold. They can come up with something. Maybe Dorian-”

“Bull.”

“-can think of something. The vints have some crazy-”

“ _Bull_.”

“-shit don’t they? Fuck, maybe we could just cut it off. You can do magic one handed, right? We can-”

“Vhenan, stop. _Katoh_.”

At the sound of the watchword, Bull went silent. Cora cupped his large hand in both of hers and turned to better face him.

“Banal nadas. Nothing is inevitable, but I don’t want to think about this right now. I want to spend time. With you. With my friends. Every second, no matter how many more of them I get.”

The Iron Bull swore again and cupped her face in both of his hands as he dipped his head down to kiss her. She could feel the frustration in it. The fear. It was harsh. Passionate. Bruising. But she leaned into it because damned if she didn’t feel every ounce of that as well.

When he finally pulled back, he dropped his forehead against hers. Cora idly wondered at what point it should be considered a head butt. Bull’s unpatched eye was closed, but while he couldn’t seem to look at her, she couldn’t look away from him. Her gaze traced every scar, every stray freckle and mole, until she had committed them to memory.

“Ar lath ma, vhenan.”

The words were barely a whisper and she was almost convinced he didn’t hear her until he pressed his lips to hers once more. Softly this time. So deep and tender she felt like her whole body was aching. When he pulled back, he took a deep breath.

“I love you, too.”


End file.
